Click banner to enter Draft Street $2.5 million NFL Challenge, with $1 million to the winner
If you love football and have an interest in winning a million dollars, read on. DraftStreet is giving you a chance to win a million bucks in Las Vegas on December 15th, 2013, in the DraftStreet Fantasy Football Championship (DSFFC).
All you have to do is enter and win one of 40 qualifier contests to reserve your spot in Vegas. You will be competing for $1.75 million in total prizes and a cool million for first place. That means each spot is worth $43,750 plus the airfare and hotel DraftStreet takes care of. And if you win one of the 40 spots, you are guaranteed a minimum of $7,000. Including the extra money in each qualifier for those that finish outside the top spot, a total of $2,500,000 will be up for grabs over the next 15 weeks. Full details here.
Week 1 features three qualifiers at different buy-ins: $22 (3000 max entries), $55 (1200 max entries, and $215 (300 max entries). Each qualifier has $16,000 added in addition to the Las Vegas seat. You must have your teams set by Sunday noon, so players from Thursday night’s Denver-Baltimore opener are not eligible and will be omitted from our analysis here.
To help you prepare for this mammoth contest, I will look at some of the best value for cost plays for each of the 10 DraftStreet roster positions for the opening week of NFL action. Remember, at DraftStreet, you need two quarterbacks, two running backs, two wide receivers, a tight end, two flex players (WR,TE or RB) and a defense (and no kickers).
Quarterbacks for Week 1
Aaron Rodgers/$16245/GBP is among the most expensive options at DraftStreet this week and has a very difficult matchup on the road against the formidable San Francisco 49ers defense. With Jordy Nelson(WR)/$9472/GB apparently ready to go, Rodgers has his full complement of receivers. I expect the passing yards to be there, but the TD to INT ratio will be a concern in San Francisco.
Matt Stafford/$14821/DET is the in vogue pick, but there are a few concerns. The Vikings will attempt to control the clock with RB-Adrian Peterson/$16151/MIN running and Christian Ponder/$10617/MIN scrambling. This will give fewer chances for Stafford to pile up passing yards.
My top play at QB is Tony Romo/$14890/DAL. A full complement of healthy receivers and a suspect Giants secondary should add up to 300+yards. The only concern would be an early blowout that might cause the Cowboys play calling to turn conservative.
Another QB who is looking great is Russell Wilson/$15304/SEA. With rushing and passing, Wilson is a relatively safe bet to put up excellent numbers in a game that Seattle should win handily. Carolina was the easiest defense to complete a pass against last season. Only blowout concerns apply here. Two other runa throw threats capable of monster games are Colin Kaepernick/$15573/SFN and Cam Newton/$15222/CAR.
Two price options that are the safest plays are Matt Ryan/$15587/ATL and Drew Brees/$17102/NOS. The oddsmakers expect this to be the highest-scoring game of the week. Ryan/ATL is the cheaper option, but the Falcons have the more balanced offense and Brees/NOS will probably get more passing yards.
Running Backs for Week 1
Adrian Peterson/$16151/MIN is the best running back in the NFL by far. After Percy Harvin got hurt, Peterson WAS the Vikings offense. Everyone keyed on him and yet he still managed to nearly break the all-time single season rushing record. Expect more of the same against the Lions. If you can find cap room by adding an ultra-cheap back, Peterson is very good play.
Aside from the Vikings superstar, my top big-game candidate is LeSean McCoy/$12561/PHI. I expect the Redskins-Eagles games to be a shootout and Philadelphia combo Jackson and McCoy are quite capable of multiple big plays. I also like Marshawn Lynch/$12432/SEA for workhorse rushing yards and pass catches, as the Seahawks grind out a win over Carolina. Everyone will expect Matt Ryan/ATL to throw all day, and the Saints defense might overlook veteran Steven Jackson/$11981/ATL racking up big rush yards.
Among bargain plays to consider, Isaac Redman/$2833/PIT will be the lead back for the run-oriented Steelers. Giovani Bernard/$7204/CIN and Shane Vereen/$8245/NEP are two other backs who should get a lot of touches.
On page three, I look at the best bets among wide receivers, tight ends and defenses at DraftStreet for the Week 1 DSFFC Qualifiers.